Issue - meetings

(A report by James Gilbert, Service Director-Corporate)

The Chairman introduced the item and invited the Group Manager - Insights and Transformation to present the report.

The Group Manager provided an overview of the Quarter 4 Performance Report for 2025/26 and explained that the report formed part of the Council's regular performance monitoring arrangements. The Committee was advised that there were no indicators currently reporting as red and only a small number reporting as amber. Members were reminded that the report also provided an opportunity to identify service areas that may warrant future scrutiny through the Committee's work programme.

Following the presentation, the Chairman opened the item for discussion.

Members welcomed the overall performance position and acknowledged that most indicators continued to perform well. The Committee recognised the positive position reflected within the report and welcomed the absence of any red indicators.

Discussion initially focused on the indicators currently reporting as amber. Members sought assurance regarding the actions being taken to improve performance and return those indicators to target levels. Attention was given to industrial unit occupancy, fly tipping response times and complaints performance.

The Committee considered the industrial unit occupancy indicator and noted that only a small number of units remained vacant at the end of the reporting period. Members welcomed the progress being made and recognised the importance of maintaining high occupancy levels to support economic activity and income generation.

Discussion also focused on fly tipping response times. Members acknowledged that performance had fallen below target during the quarter and sought assurance that this represented a short-term issue rather than a developing trend. Officers advised that staffing resources had temporarily been redirected to support waste collection services during the reporting period and confirmed that performance continued to be monitored closely.

Members paid particular attention to the complaints indicator and highlighted the importance of customer satisfaction and timely responses to complaints. The Committee discussed the distinction between the outcome of a complaint and the speed with which it was handled and emphasised that both were important in maintaining public confidence in Council services. Members sought assurance regarding how learning from complaints was shared across the organisation and considered it important that complaints were not resolved individually but were used to identify recurring themes and opportunities for service improvement. The importance of ensuring that departments understood the causes of complaints and implemented lessons learned where appropriate was also highlighted

In response to the discussion, officers confirmed that complaints were reviewed through dedicated officer sessions which examined complaint trends, outcomes and opportunities for improvement. It was explained that lessons learned were shared across services and, where appropriate, used to improve procedures, communication and service delivery.

Members then turned their attention to market performance and sought clarification regarding occupancy figures and the impact of the Farmers and Makers Market. The Committee recognised the contribution that markets made towards town centre vitality and footfall and expressed an interest in understanding longer-term performance trends. Discussion focused on whether the Farmers and Makers Market was positively influencing occupancy levels and visitor numbers. Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18

(A report by John Medler, Service Director – Legal & Governance (Monitoring Officer))

(A report by James Gilbert, Service Director – Corporate Services)